Harper Test Drives a DeMan Porsche Cayman

A friend approached me for car- buying advice. He wants a Porsche.

He’d reached that time in his life when, kids out of the house and mortgage paid, he could afford one — and he’d convinced his wife. No question the sports car was to be a Porsche, a brand he’d coveted since he was a kid. And he wanted a new one, not, say, a 1970s 911, which would necessitate a first-name basis relationship with a mechanic named Fritz.

His budget was $100,000. Would it be the all-new Porsche 911 Carrera S, with its 3.8-liter, 400-horsepower flat-six engine, or the all-new Boxster S, a two-seat roadster with a 3.4-liter, 315-hp engine?